The Dance
by lateVMlover
Summary: This is a companion piece to "MaDe to Endure" that gives details of the high school dance Lauren Sinclair attends. It is NOT a stand a lone piece, so don't read it if you haven't read the series.


**This is the companion piece I promised you that reveals details of Lauren Sinclair's experience at her high school dance. This is not a stand-alone piece and should only be read by the incredibly dedicated readers of my Veronica Mar's series. This directly follows "MaDe to Endure."**

 **To my sadness, I do NOT own Veronica Mars, but most of the characters in this piece are my own.**

The Dance

 _******Neptune High School******_

Lauren smiled as Brad led her into the school. Despite 09ers attempts to get the dance moved to a fancier location, the principal wouldn't agree. Cassidy had nosedived off the hotel at the last private dance party. The principal had vowed that until he retired, no dance would be held in a location he couldn't control. Lauren didn't care. She felt exhausted after the events of the past week. She'd had one sister almost die and buried another. Mac's boyfriend had been shot by the killer who killed Madison. The only good news was Mac's friend Jazmin's dad had killed the psychopath who'd been terrorizing the women in town. It was over. Finally.

Tonight, she wanted to not think about it. She wanted to enjoy the dance with Brad. It might be the only one they'd ever attend together. She felt a flash of guilt for thinking that. Scott was the one she should've been at the dance with, but he'd had a wedding out of town that he couldn't skip. They'd only begun dating and weren't serious. He hadn't been upset when she'd told him about going with Brad. A part of Lauren was disappointed that he didn't seem bothered. Then she wondered if the idea of Brad liking her had been too ludicrous for him to consider seriously.

Brad, though, was surprising her. He was really into the dance. He'd even bought her a beautiful wrist corsage and had insisted they pose for the couples' photo. Lauren tried not to feel anything as he wrapped his arm around her, posing her in front of him. It was hard, though. He looked incredible in his formal attire. He'd chosen dark blue instead of all black. His blue eyes seemed even bluer. He was being incredibly sweet.

Luckily, the first dance was a fast one. Brad grinned at her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Lauren giggled. "Of course!" she agreed. They danced three fast dances. Then they spotted Ryan, who had brought Kristen. Like Lauren, he hadn't really wanted to go. However, he knew Kristen had spent a lot on a dress and had been looking forward to it.

Brad took her hand and led her to the couple. "Hey, guys. Glad you could make it," he said. "You look lovely, Kristen."

Kristen smiled. "Thanks!" She had on a strapless red dress with a long skirt. She was a very pretty girl.

"You got Ryan to wear a tux!" Lauren commented, smiling. She turned to him. "Did you do your tie yourself?"

Ryan gave her a cross look. "You know I didn't. I stopped by Mac's and got her to. Mom and Dad went to a meeting at Hearst. Parents are pissed about the killer being an employee of the school," Ryan said.

"Dick was very excited about this dance," Lauren said.

"A little too excited," Ryan said, rolling his eyes.

"He wanted to chaperone, but Mac vetoed it," Lauren said, smiling. Dick was always such a goofball.

"Didn't he just get out of the hospital?" Kristen asked.

"That was before he was shot," Ryan said.

Even the reminder of the dark events upset Lauren, and she said, "Let's not talk about shootings or murders tonight, please. I want one night where I don't have to think about it!"

"That's a good idea," Kristen agreed.

"Fine by me," Ryan said.

"Let's go get a drink," Brad suggested.

They went and got drinks and chatted about innocuous things. Lauren felt herself relax for the first time in a long time. Soon both couples went back to the dance floor. They danced a few fast dances. Then switched partners. Ryan tried to dip her and nearly dropped her. She was laughing so hard that she nearly peed her pants.

"I gotta go to the bathroom!" she gasped.

"I'll walk you," Brad offered, glad to see her truly enjoying herself. It'd been too long since she'd really smiled.

"I'm good," Lauren said, not wanting a guy to walk her to the bathroom.

"I'll go with you," Kristen said. Lauren smiled in thanks. Kristen had been surprisingly supportive lately. Sometimes Lauren even felt like they were real friends.

When they made it to the bathroom, Kristen reapplied her lipstick while Kristen went into one of the stalls.

"We are so overdressed for this scrungy bathroom!" Kristen said when Lauren was washing her hands.

Lauren laughed. "Very true," she said.

"Thanks for not canceling the dance," Kristen said sincerely. "I mean, I know it's been really sucky for you lately."

"Yeah, it really has," Lauren agreed with a sigh. "But this has been fun. I really needed fun."

Kristen smiled and opened the bathroom door for her. "You and Brad seem to be having a good time," she said pointedly.

"Yes, he's been really sweet," Lauren said.

"Have you thought of Scott once at all?" Kristen asked coyly.

Lauren frowned. "Scott? What?"

Laughing, Kristen said, "Yep! It's what I suspected. You're not over Brad."

"What?" Lauren asked, caught off guard.

"Hey, it's okay. He's really hot and rich," Kristen said.

"That's not why I like him!" Lauren protested.

Kristen grinned smugly. "So you admit it!" she exclaimed.

Lauren started to reply and then spotted the Brad on the dance floor. Nicole had her arms around his neck. Brad was looking down at her saying something.

"You know that doesn't mean anything," Kristen said quickly. "Nicole probably roped him into it somehow."

"It's okay. Brad can dance with whomever he wants," Lauren said with a shrug. She tried to ignore the hurt she felt. She looked around the large gym for a distraction and found one. Jesus was by the punch bowl. Probably spiking the drinks. She smiled and headed toward him.

Jesus watched her approach with interest. The girl was an enigma, a survivor. In spite of himself, he felt drawn to her. He wasn't sure in what way. She stopped in front of him, giving him a nervous smile. God, she was cute!

"You look all grown up," he observed, taking in her dressed up appearance.

"Yeah, well, it's a dance," she said, giving him a shy smile. "You look nice." He had on a dress jacket over his jeans.

"So which of your boyfriends did you come to the dance with?" he asked with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with a frown. His friends moved off, giving them some space.

He pointed to Brad, who was still dancing with Nicole. "The rich 09er is with another girl right now. That mean bitch—even though he said he was taking you. Your brother who's not your brother is with his girlfriend, and I don't see the singer," he observed. "Who did you come with? Did you come alone?" He smiled as that thought occurred to him.

"No, I'm here with Brad," she said with a sigh.

"So did you dump the other guy?" Jesus asked with interest.

"No. Scott had to go out of town for his sister's wedding. Brad and I are just friends, so he can dance with whomever he wants," Lauren said, trying to sound casual.

"Then that means so can you," Jesus said with a grin. He'd asked her to the dance on a whim and her presence there was the only reason he came. He wanted to be near her.

Lauren smiled at him. "Yes, I can," she said.

Jesus held out his hand, and she took it. As soon as they made it to the dance floor, a love song came on. She was a little nervous, but she put her arms around his waist. His arms went around her neck.

"I can't believe you dance," she said.

"I can do a lot of things," he said, smiling down at her. He gave her a wink. "You look beautiful tonight."

"I do?" she asked in surprise.

"You do," he said. He leaned down and gave her a light kiss.

Lauren was startled. She thought the PCHer was just teasing her, and the kiss was unexpected.

"What was that for?" she asked him.

"A pretty girl needs to be kissed," he said easily.

His casualness caused her to relax and not grow too uncomfortable with his actions. She wasn't even sure he was seriously flirting or if it was his attempt to make sure she felt good about herself. "You know, I think you might be a really nice guy after all," she said, giving him a warm smile.

Jesus winked. "Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold," he said.

Lauren laughed, enjoying his humor.

Nearby, Brad had been trying to get Nicole to go away. As soon as Lauren had left for the bathroom, Nicole had attached herself to him like a leech. He'd given in and danced once with her because it seemed easier than avoiding her. He figured Lauren would be back. However, he was still alone with Nicole, getting more impatient with the girl every minute. Spotting Kristen, he went to her. He ignored Nicole trailing after him.

"Where's Lauren?" he asked.

Kristen said nothing and just pointed. He couldn't believe it. She was dancing with that Jesus guy. She was smiling up at him like she was having a good time. How did this happen?

"Guess you shouldn't have been dancing with Nicole. She's not very nice to Lauren, you know," Kristen said.

Brad turned to Nicole. "Please, go away!" he ordered.

"Why are you being so mean?" Nicole asked.

"Because you and I are never going to be a couple. I've tried being subtle, but you don't seem to get it. Leave me alone!" Brad demanded impatiently.

Nicole looked to Kristen for support. "I think you better go," Kristen said, not without compassion. However, she knew that if she wanted things to work with Ryan, she had to distance herself from one of Lauren's tormentors.

"Fine!" Nicole said with a pout. Then she left.

"Finally!" Brad said in relief. His eyes, though, were trained on Lauren and Jesus. When he saw the PCHer kiss Lauren, he couldn't believe it. "Hell no!" He started to go break the couple up, but Ryan grabbed his arm.

"Don't do it, dude," Ryan advised. "Lauren would hate it if you cause a scene. She's had enough people staring at her this past year to last a life time. When the dance is over, politely ask her for the next dance."

Brad clenched his fist, wanting to go pound the older guy down. He knew that he'd probably end up getting a beating, but he didn't care. He'd had to watch Scott kiss her, but to see her soiled by a criminal was more than he could deal with. It didn't matter that he didn't actually know if Jesus was a criminal. In his mind, if you were in a gang, you were doing some type of criminal activity. He couldn't consider the PCHers a harmless social club. Nor did he understand why Lauren wasn't wary of the senior. She wasn't usually comfortable with people she didn't know.

As soon as the dance ended, he made his way to her. A new song began, and he heard Lauren ask Jesus if he wanted to dance another. Before Jesus could reply, Brad got her attention.

"There you are! I was wondering where you disappeared to," he said with an easy smile.

"I kept her entertained," Jesus said with a grin.

"Yea, I saw that," Brad said sourly.

Lauren flushed, feeling awkward. Brad was annoyed. She knew him well enough to be able to tell that. "You were dancing with someone, so I found someone to dance with," she said defensively.

"You can go back to that rich bitch. I got this," Jesus said, pulling Lauren back against him for another dance.

Brad grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "That's awfully nice of you, but I think I can manage," he said with an insincere smile.

Lauren just sighed and walked away from both of them. They were being ridiculous, and she wasn't about to participate in their stupidity.

The two guys followed her off the dance floor. "Do you want to dance?" Brad asked her.

"No. I want a snack or something to drink," she said.

"I'll go get you something," Brad offered.

"I wish you wouldn't bait him like that," she said to Jesus. She sat down in one of the chairs lined up against the wall. There were open bleachers, too, but she didn't want to climb any stairs.

"It's so easy and fun," Jesus said with a snicker.

She just shook her head, not really annoyed. "Thanks for dancing with me," she said. "But you should probably go back to your friends. I don't want any fighting."

"Ah, you take all the fun out of everything," Jesus complained. "But no problemo." Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Thank you for letting me dance with the most beautiful girl here." Then he kissed her cheek.

Lauren watched him walk away in bemusement. He had appeared out of nowhere it seemed. School was over in two weeks, though, and he would graduate. He made her feel special. It was odd. They were from two very different worlds.

Brad came over and handed her a drink and a plate of snack foods. "Here you go," he said. He took the chair next to her. He'd seen Jesus whisper something before walking away. It drove him nuts that he didn't know what was really happening between them. He and Lauren were only friends, and he had no right to question anything she did with any guy. However, he was in love with her, and he wanted her to give him all her smiles. How lame was that?

"So what's the deal with you and Jesus?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"What's the deal with you and Nicole? Or Amanda. I saw her hitting on you while you were at the snack table," she countered.

"Lauren, you know those two are always trying to get my attention. I had five minutes one time with one of them over the summer—almost a year ago," he said.

Lauren laughed. "Do you even know which one?" she challenged.

Brad gave her a disgruntled look. "I'm an ass, but not that bad of one," Brad assured her. "It was Nicole. I told her just a bit ago that she needed to stop. That we were never gonna happen."

"I'm glad you have _some_ taste," Lauren said with a smile.

"So are you going to answer my question now?" Brad prodded. "Do you have a thing for Jesus?"

"I don't know. I barely know him," she said. "He's really cute, though. He's nice to me."

Brad looked unhappy but didn't say anything for a minute. Finally, he said, "I saw him kiss you."

Lauren glanced at him, finally noticing how upset he really seemed to be. "Do you really care who I kiss?" she asked him, trying to understand his mood.

Brad looked around. It was crowded and loud and not the place to have a private conversation. "Let's go for a walk. It's too loud in here," he said. He stood and put his plate on the chair and held out his hand.

Lauren took it and got to her feet, putting her plate and drink down. "Okay," she agreed. She let him lead her out of the gym and down the hall until they couldn't hear the music.

Brad stopped and faced her, his mind racing with all the things he wanted to say. "I'm not sure what to say without sounding lame, but I'll try," he began.

"You could never sound lame," Lauren assured him. She felt like he was giving her mixed signals, but then she figured it was just wishful thinking on her part. He was just being protective.

"I want to be honest with you, Lauren, but it's difficult," Brad admitted.

"It's hard to tell me the truth?" Lauren asked in surprise.

"It's hard for me to admit that I'm an idiot and a coward," Brad confessed.

"What are you trying to say?" Lauren asked in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Everything!" Brad said in frustration. "You are the most amazing girl I've ever met. I admire you more than anyone I know."

Lauren blinked, not expecting that. "Well, thanks. That's really sweet. You've been a great friend to me. It's meant a lot," she told him, reaching out and squeezing his hand.

Brad intertwined their hands, looking down at them. "Here's the thing, Lauren. You don't enjoy holding hands with your friends," he said.

Lauren pulled her hand away, feeling rejected. "All right," she said.

Brad reached for her. "No! I didn't mean that I didn't not want to hold your hand!" he exclaimed, taking a hold of hers again. "I like holding your hand. That's the problem. Not that it's a problem."

Lauren looked up at him in bewilderment. "Brad, you're really confusing me. You've made it perfectly clear to me that we're friends only. I get it. You don't have to keep hitting me over the head with it. It kind of hurts my feelings," she told him.

Brad groaned. He was making such a mess of things. He turned away from her and put his face his hands a moment. If he didn't say the right thing right now, he was going to lose her forever. He just felt it deep in his soul. Taking a deep breath, he turned and looked at her. One hand reached for one of hers, and the other went to her face. "I am in love with you, Lauren Sinclair. I've never felt this way about anyone. I didn't want to feel this way while I'm so young, but you are just so incredible. Your strength and bravery astound me. I know that I'm far from perfect, but I don't want to just be friends anymore. It's making me crazy," Brad told her.

Lauren couldn't believe he was saying this. "You love me?" she asked incredulously.

"I do," Brad said. Then he kissed her. Unlike the first kiss, Lauren was too overwhelmed to feel awkward or nervous. His lips moved over hers.

For Lauren, the kiss seemed to last forever. His tongue invaded and a fog settled over her.

Finally, after a perfect eternity, air became necessary, and he pulled back, smiling down at her. "I don't want you to date Scott or Jesus or anyone but me," he said. "I don't want to date anyone but you."

"Really?" she asked, still astounded. She'd crushed on him her entire life. Then she'd actually became friends with him, and she discovered he was as wonderful as she'd always imagined. It seemed impossible that he returned her feelings.

"Really," he said. "Am I too late? Have you gotten over your feelings for me?" That was his fear. He didn't want to become just another guy she used to crush on.

Lauren laughed. "You're not the kind of guy a girl just gets over," she said. Her arms were still around his waist. "I've tried, though. Really hard."

"So it's not too late?" he asked hopefully.

Lauren gave him a brilliant smile. "It's not too late," she said. Then she raised up to kiss him again.

****** _Two Weeks Later*******_

It was the last day of school. Lauren couldn't believe her sophomore year was over. When she'd gotten cancer, she'd never believed a school year could be worse. Until this year. She was so glad it was over, and she could look forward to a summer with her new boyfriend.

She still couldn't believe it. She and Brad were a real couple. It'd been awful telling Scott, but she'd managed to do it. He'd been disappointed, but he knew that things had been rough for her. He had been a gentleman about it. She'd appreciated his good manners. Even though a few 09er girls like Nicole and Amanda gave her angry looks when she and Brad walked around holding hands, the final two weeks had been so perfect.

Jesus had teased her, but he hadn't seemed angry. Her thinking he might actually like her was silly she thought as she saw him in the hall cleaning out his locker.

He looked up when she said hi. "Hola," he said, giving her a warm smile. When she'd shown up to school after the dance obviously coupled up with the 09er, he'd felt a stab of disappointed. However, he soon got over it because the dark cloud the girl had over her had finally disappeared. It was like the entire school could breathe again. The girl had an effect on everyone around—she had no clue. When she smiled and was lit up the way she was now, everyone else was moved to respond the same way. She radiated joy. For a girl who'd suffered so much and had so much pain the past month, it was like a resurrection of sort. Jesus couldn't be angry at the guy who'd managed to bring her so much happiness.

If he wished that he could be the one to put the smile on her face, he was only human.

"So your last day, huh?" Lauren asked.

"Yep. I'm outta here," he said, shutting his locker.

"Do you have plans for the summer?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes. Big plans," he said.

"Will I see you around?" Lauren asked.

"No. I joined the Coast Guard. I leave for basic training on Monday," he shared.

"Seriously? Wow! That's unexpected," she said.

"Yeah, I can't be around to fetch you those order of fries you wanted after all," Jesus said sarcastically.

"No, I just didn't know you were into swimming. Don't you have to be?" she asked.

"If you want to be a rescue swimmer. Or you can be a pilot," he said. "I've been swimming through the Boys Club at the YMCA since I was six."

Lauren smiled. "That's amazing, Jesus. I hope it works out and you stay safe," she said.

"Oh, I will," he said confidently. "I have a goal now."

"Yes, the Coast Guard is an impressive one," she said.

"Yea, but it's not the goal I meant," he said. "I want to be worthy of a girl like you someday. Hanging around Neptune will never give me that."

Lauren blinked, caught off guard by his words. "I don't know what to say to that," she admitted.

"You don't need to say anything," he said. "I've watched you all year. You've shamed me and challenged me and moved me. You're so brave. I want to be brave. I want to make a difference in someone's life the way you've made a difference in mine."

His words were so unexpected. They brought tears to her eyes. "I've just tried to survive," she murmured.

Jesus put his hand on her shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "I know. Now I hope you get to live a nice long life and get everything you want," he said. "And just so you know, my guys will be watching your boy. If he makes you cry, they've vowed to make him cry more!"

Lauren shook her head but couldn't find it in her to scold him. He was being sweet. Instead, she hugged him. "Will I ever see you again?" she asked, blinking back the tears.

"I hope so," he said, brushing away a tear that had escaped. "I really do."

"Goodbye," she said, not knowing what else to say.

"Adios, mi amiga," he said. "You need me, tell one of my boys. They'll know how to get a hold of me."

She smiled. "Take care of yourself. I've lost enough people that matter to me," she said, knowing those words would mean more to him than anything else she could say.

"I never want to make you sad, so I'll be extra careful," he promised. He kissed her cheek one final time and then waved goodbye.

Lauren watched him walk out of the school. She felt regret. She'd just begun to know him, and now he was gone.

Brad came up to her. "You ready to leave?" he asked, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"I am," she said smiling up at him.

Together, they walked out of the school, ready to start their summer.

 _******The End******_

 _I know some of you were really starting to get into a possible new love triangle, but I really want to phase out the teen side of the story. The VM world is large, and I've made it even larger with all the new characters. It's almost unmanageable. If I'm to write a quality story, I have to trim some fat. So I leave it in your hands: You can imagine either Brad and Lauren live happily ever after. Or you can picture her moving away from Brad and finding Jesus once again!_

 _Thanks for reading. Reviews really do help motivate me!_


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